Also. . .

Prudential Insurance Co. of America, one of the largest insurance companies in the country, said its 1997 net income fell to $610 million after it posted $1.05 billion in after-tax charges to remedy past sales-practices claims. Revenue rose 2% to $37.1 billion. Excluding the remediation costs in both periods, net income was up 24% to $1.66 billion in 1997 from $1.34 billion in 1996. Prudential, which is owned by its policyholders, said last month that it is taking steps to sell shares to the public.

* United Parcel Service said profit jumped 42% to $351 million in the fourth quarter but net income for full year 1997 was hurt by last summer’s 15-day Teamsters strike. The privately held company’s 1997 net income fell 21% to $909 million from $1.15 billion as revenue edged up to $22.46 billion from $22.37 billion. Revenue in the fourth quarter rose 3% to $6.14 billion.

* Retirement community developer Del Webb Corp. said that talks with an unidentified party on acquiring the company ended without an agreement. Last week, Phoenix-based Del Webb said it was considering a takeover bid.

* Anheuser-Busch Cos. is suing Miller Brewing Co., accusing it of interfering with its agreements with 54 distributors of beers made by both companies. Miller, a unit of Philip Morris Cos., had given the distributors until March 20 to disavow a contract with Anheuser-Busch that required them to “maximize” sales of that company’s products or stop distributing beers made by Anheuser-Busch.